Does any country currently have a referendum on Turkish EU accession?Also, how strong is French influence?
The French parliament on began discussions on a constitutional reform plan that could eventually make it compulsory for France to hold a referendum on large countries wanting to join the EU. Under an amendment tabled by Jean-Luc Warsmann – a deputy from the centre-right UMP party – in the French parliament’s Committee on Legislation last week, holding a referendum would become obligatory to approve the EU accession of any country whose population surpasses five percent of the EU’s population – currently about 500 million people. French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday reaffirmed his opposition to Turkey joining the European Union and said he would order a referendum on Turkish membership if necessary. His comments came a day after his government said it would scrap a constitutional amendment that requires France to hold a referendum on any future enlargement of the EU. “I have always been opposed to the entry of Turkey” into the EU, he said in a television interview. “Turkey is no
